Posted March 29th, 2012 08:29 AM IPSo I've seen recipes floating around the web for a cleaner which consists of blue Dawn and Vinegar. So far I've heard nothing but good about it. A couple questions...

Does it matter if you use blue Dawn or not? I have alot of pink Dawn that I got free. Will that work just as well?

Do you use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar? Does it make a difference either way?Michelle
mommy to Jadon-8 yr, Lakeshia- 5 yr & Logan- 3 yr

rallyjanBookwormPosts: 3370Registered: Jun 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 08:35 AM IPwhite vinegar works as a mild disinfect. the instructions to clean neblizers say to occasionally soak the parts in a solution of white vinegar and water. cider vinegar is more acidic, which is what you want for pickling.
as for the color of the dish soap? I don't know.Jan
Mama to Zachary, Leandra, Kandace
and 3 more.

jimmysgirlBookwormPosts: 2827Registered: Mar 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 08:44 AM IPI wondered about the "pink Dawn" dishsoap, too. But, it has an Olay moisturizer in it, so I'm thinking I wouldn't really want to clean with that. I have some blue Polmolive Oxy and wondered if that would work. Monica
Wife to James
Mommy to Megan Angelina Delight 9
Jamison Maxwell Cole 7
Dominic Wyatt Blake 5
Brooklyn Vanessa Dawn 1

Becuz_of_JesusBookwormPosts: 1654Registered: Jul 2008

Posted March 29th, 2012 09:49 AM IPIf you are making a mixture say like for cleaning stains in carpet then I think it's important to use a clear dish soap. I used the mixture(I found mine on Pinterest) to get tough stains out of my carpets and it worked wonderfully! But if you are using it to clean things that won't absorb the pink color then I don't see what it would harm. Gloria wife to Jason.
Mom to Cody, Jessenia, Jace & Ravi

oasismamaAvid ReaderPosts: 229Registered: Jan 2010

Posted March 29th, 2012 09:51 AM IPI think the blue Dawn isn't concentrated.
I have a recipe for a "Shout" look alike that asks for blue Dawn. I've used other dishsoap in a pinch, but I think the blue Dawn does the best job.Angela
Wife to Abner
Mom of six boys and one girl

lainasmommyBookwormPosts: 1029Registered: Jun 2008

Posted March 29th, 2012 09:59 AM IPI read somewhere that the blue dawn has different ingredients than the other ones, but I never actually looked at the bottles to see.Jairia, mommy to
Elaina Grace ~ April 25, 2006
Connor Stephen ~ May 10, 2009
Parker Bradley ~ July 27, 2012

millersevenBookwormPosts: 730Registered: Jul 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 10:24 AM IPI googled that recipe a bit too and found that there is a reason for the blue Dawn. I tried to check ingredients but they don't have enough posted on the label that you can really tell.

I sprayed my shower with that stuff like Pinterest said. I think it worked, but I still had to scrub mine pretty good to get stuff off. Even if it wasn't as amazing as I thought it was better then dumping nasty bathroom cleaners all over the shower!Cathy
Wife of Gerald
Mom of Brendan (14) Kara (12) Tyler (9) Andre and Alex (7)

jimmysgirlBookwormPosts: 2827Registered: Mar 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 11:00 AM IPI think, too, that there is "something" about blue Dawn. My husband has a very expensive paint spray gun and uses a new kind of paint (for cars ) and the company told him to use only blue Dawn dishsoap to clean the gun. Of course, he didn't at first, and it caused spots on the next car he painted. He switched to Dawn and doesn't have that problem anymore. Monica
Wife to James
Mommy to Megan Angelina Delight 9
Jamison Maxwell Cole 7
Dominic Wyatt Blake 5
Brooklyn Vanessa Dawn 1

daisy319BookwormPosts: 2256Registered: Apr 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 11:13 AM IPI guess I will put blue Dawn on my shopping list. I really would hate to make it with the pink dish soap and then end up having to dump it because it doesn't clean very well.Michelle
mommy to Jadon-8 yr, Lakeshia- 5 yr & Logan- 3 yr

OzarkmamaBookwormPosts: 692Registered: Dec 2009

Posted March 29th, 2012 03:09 PM IPI've only ever used blue dawn, so can't tell you if any other works or not. There's lots of variations to the formula, so I'm curious how you other ladies do it. For mine, I use half vinegar (white), and half water in a 32 oz. spray bottle, and add dawn about equivalent to what I use in a sink of water for dishes. I really like this stuff for general maintenance use. I usually go around my bathroom and spray everything good with the cleaner, and then go back and start scrubbing, to give it some soak time. I have noticed that if I skip (gasp) cleaning the showers for a week or so, it takes a bit more soaking/scrubbing to get them clean. But, we have water with high mineral content, and I used to have lime buildup in my sinks, etc., and nothing would take it completely off, even lime-away. After consistent use of this stuff, my buildup is gone! I was so pleased! I had tried using just vinegar, but it didn't work with our water. After I added dawn, it made all the difference. (And, only awhile after a adding it on a brainstorm, did I discover online that it was a popular homemade cleaner! )Gina- happy wife of Lavern, blessed Mama to Amanda, Lane, Trent, and Allison

grandmotherloisBookworm

Posts: 325Registered: Oct 2008

Posted March 29th, 2012 05:17 PM IPI use half white vinegar heated to almost boiling add equal amount of blue dawn and it shines and cleans. I think the heating helps to mix the two. I use a magic eraser to clean my tub with this mixture and the scum leaves. We can buy blue dawn in 5 gal buckets for 20.00 so I have plenty on hand.LJ Grandmother of 8

jimmysgirlBookwormPosts: 2827Registered: Mar 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 05:43 PM IPI mixed some like Gina does^^^. But I used blue Palmolive Oxy because I don't have Dawn right now. It cleaned my shower SO SO well!!! I was impressed. We have hard water and I have hard time getting the soap scum off and there were also some brown spots that wouldn't come off.....I sprayed it on and let it soak and it wiped right off!!

Posted March 29th, 2012 06:34 PM IPWhere do you get 5 gallon buckets of Tide for 20.00? Is it for a business or something?Mommy to Tristan -11, Kiana -7 & Joseph -7 & Lia -3

natoverBookwormPosts: 983Registered: Jul 2007

Posted March 29th, 2012 10:14 PM IPThere's a place close to here that sells it. Not sure where they get it or what the deal is. They can't sell it as "tide" or "gain", they just ask you whether you want blue or green. =) You can also get purple power by the 5 gallon buckets. Mom just picked me up a bucket of the tide but I haven't used it yet. Wife of Micah ~
Mother of 5 beautiful children~
Olivia Kate ~ Aug. 3, 2006
Emily Sophia ~ Sept. 11, 2008 - Jan. 20, 2009
Wyatt Caleb ~ Feb. 25, 2010
Lincoln Matthew ~ April 6, 2012
Clark Alexander ~ Feb. 10, 2014

Posted March 30th, 2012 03:14 PM IPMonica, it's the one on 36, by Newcastle....close to the bulk food store. Heidi told me about it. I've never been there myself.Rachal

mother21BookwormPosts: 484Registered: Oct 2008

Posted March 31st, 2012 04:26 PM IPTalking about Dawn dish soap- any of you have a problem with smelly dish rags?? Switch to another brand of soap. One of my friends told me this and I almost laughed in her face but decided it's worth a try. It really did make a big difference! We have hard city water so that might make a difference too. So now I buy anything BUT dawn. Except today I did but a small blue Dawn for this cleaner.=) And white vinegar. Beth

Living_an_AdventureBookworm

Posts: 498Registered: Jan 2009

Posted March 31st, 2012 06:03 PM IPI bought the blue dawn 3 or 4 weeks ago to make this cleaner, but hadn't gotten it done. After this thread started, I decided I had to get it made. So I cleaned my tub at 8:30 last night and was very pleased! We have an old tub that collects scum. I just sprayed on my cleaner and waited a little. I was then able to just wipe most of it off without scrubbing! Wendy -- Wife of a school teacher and Mommy of four

delsgirlBookwormPosts: 1262Registered: Jan 2009

Posted April 3rd, 2012 07:24 PM IPi just read through this thread and I'm thinking I might be cleaning my shower tonight too. Sounds great, I've given up on ever getting our shower shiny again. Not sure if I have blue Dawn on hand tho... Christy

-wife to Delvin, mom to Maleah (7) Shawn (6), and baby Deklan

rachi882BookwormPosts: 3083Registered: Jun 2007

Posted April 4th, 2012 07:58 PM IPI am going to try this shower cleaner and if it works, I will get rid of Comet. I googled it and found a list of uses for blue Dawn dish soap, incuding the following. Anyone want to try it?

"HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP.
Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won't have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing."Rachal

ervroBookwormPosts: 871Registered: Mar 2007

Posted April 4th, 2012 08:30 PM IPI'm not on pinterest, but I'd love to have a recipe that is really good for cleaning showers! : Ours has terrible scum/rust build up, and I have wondered how to get it off--haven't had much success with my bathroom cleaners.
Does anyone have another recipe other than the one given above (equal parts of vinegar & blue dawn) ?

Posted April 5th, 2012 06:42 PM IPI mixed equal amounts of hot vinegar and the original blue dawn, like most of the recipes I found online. I sprayed my shower and tub with it, let it set 45 minutes and it pretty much wiped off with no scrubbing! My shower gets cleaned about every 2-3 months, and I normally spend about 20-30 minutes scrubbing with Comet, so this amazed me! I was surprised though that I used 12 oz to spray the shower. I would go through a bottle of this pretty fast. Of course...I don't use shower cleaner so maybe this is normal. I calculated the cost at Wal-Mart prices for vinegar and Dawn. It came to $1.63 for 32 oz which seems like the same size normal bathroom sprays come in. I was surprised that it cost that much. I am going to try cutting down on the amount of Dawn I use, until I find a solution that works with the least amount of Dawn which is the most expensive ingredient. I am pretty sure if I mixed it like Monica and Gina did, my shower would not get clean. Unless of course I started cleaning it more often. Rachal

Quote:ervro wrote:
Ours has terrible scum/rust build up, and I have wondered how to get it off--haven't had much success with my bathroom cleaners.

Have you tried the cleaner CLR (Calcium, Lime, Rust)?
As to using Dawn for your hair - well I always did like the smell of Dawn - maybe I should try it! Mommy to 5

peace_4u_2BookwormPosts: 425Registered: Apr 2009

Posted April 6th, 2012 01:18 PM IPI just mixed up some like Gina said and cleaned my bathroom with it. I love it! My faucets actually shine again. I had to call my Mom and tell her about my new find! Amber~

Quote:rachi882 wrote:
I calculated the cost at Wal-Mart prices for vinegar and Dawn. It came to $1.63 for 32 oz which seems like the same size normal bathroom sprays come in. I was surprised that it cost that much. I am going to try cutting down on the amount of Dawn I use, until I find a solution that works with the least amount of Dawn which is the most expensive ingredient. I am pretty sure if I mixed it like Monica and Gina did, my shower would not get clean. Unless of course I started cleaning it more often.

For as well as mine works with the little bit of Dawn I use, I'm guessing you could use significantly less than half and half and still have it do the job for you. (I'm in awe of you only cleaning your shower every 2-3 months! Mine looks awful after 2-3 weeks!)

I know prices vary in different locations, but I get my vinegar at Sam's club, and it runs about 75 cents cheaper a gallon (it comes in a box with 2 gallons), than anywhere else. Not that vinegar is that costly to begin with , but for as much as I use, it adds up! I like to keep a spray bottle of half vinegar/half water under my kitchen sink and spray my sink every evening and wipe it down. It does great at keep my fixtures shiny and spot free.Gina- happy wife of Lavern, blessed Mama to Amanda, Lane, Trent, and Allison

rachi882BookwormPosts: 3083Registered: Jun 2007

Posted April 24th, 2012 02:35 PM IPDoes this mixture make anyone else cough and feel sick?
It is SO strong! I don't feel that it's safe to breath all that Dawn into my lungs. I know it's biodegradable but is it toxic?Rachal

antrosariBookwormPosts: 1575Registered: Aug 2008

Posted April 24th, 2012 08:19 PM IPIt sure is a little strong, but the vinegar is a lot stronger to my nose than the dawn is....? I am really amazed though how nice it makes the shower!Rose~Anthony's wife